PRINTER'S NO. 2002
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
404
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY TEPLITZ, WOZNIAK, DINNIMAN, GREENLEAF, BROWNE,
RAFFERTY, COSTA, RESCHENTHALER, FONTANA, BREWSTER,
VULAKOVICH, KITCHEN, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES AND HAYWOOD,
JUNE 28, 2016
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, JUNE 28, 2016
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of August 2016 as "National and State Park
Month" in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the
National Park Service and the important role the 29 National
parks and 120 State parks play in our communities and our
lives.
WHEREAS, The National Park Service was founded on August 25,
1916, by President Woodrow Wilson with the mission to "conserve
the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife
therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such
manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the
enjoyment of future generations"; and
WHEREAS, To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National
Park Service, all its sites that charge an entrance fee will
offer free admission days to everyone; and
WHEREAS, The National Park System covers more than 84 million
acres and is comprised of 409 sites with 28 different
designations, including: 128 historical parks or sites, 78
national monuments, 59 national parks, 25 battlefields or
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military parks, 19 preserves, 18 recreation areas, 10 seashores,
4 parkways, 4 lakeshores and 2 reserves; and
WHEREAS, In 2015 more than 305 million people visited a
national park; and
WHEREAS, Annual visitor spending in communities within 60
miles of National Park Service sites supports more than 240,000
jobs, mostly local, and contributes approximately $27 billion to
the National economy; and
WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, the first State park at Valley
Forge opened in 1893 and was given to the National Park Service
for America's bicentennial in 1976; and
WHEREAS, Since 1893 the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
has blossomed into one of the largest state park systems in the
nation with 121 parks covering 61 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties;
and
WHEREAS, State and national parks are dedicated to enhancing
our quality of life through recreation programming, leisure
activities and conservation efforts; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the month of August 2016
as "National and State Park Month" and affirm the great societal
value these parks play in the lives of the citizens of the
United States and of this Commonwealth.
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